Microwaves are a great invention – but the results are not always spectacular.
Microwaves are one of the most convenient things you could hope to have in your kitchen.
But they're not suitable for cooking every kind of food. What are the best and worst foods to microwave?
Worst foods to microwave
The obvious leaders of this list are microwave meals. No matter if it’s a 14p sweet and sour chicken meal or a ‘high-end’ roast dinner, they both come in a plastic tray and they’re both going to be awful for your palate and probably your health too.
Here’s a classic conundrum – you have cold leftover pizza from the night before, and it’s practically a crime to throw pizza away. What to do? Some people love it cold for lunch, but others can’t stand it. The rule is, if you want to reheat pizza, do it in the oven. Microwaved, the dough becomes soggy, while the toppings become irredeemably squishy and chewy.
Never microwave a pie to reheat it. Like pizza, the dough gets wet – and for a pie, this means it’ll slump right into the filling. The exception to the rule are mince pies, which are just as good microwaved as they are from the oven. Blast them for 20 seconds tops, or they’ll roast the roof of your mouth off.
Chicken becomes incredibly dry when microwaved, even on a fairly low setting. It’s unavoidable. Just don’t bother. Place it in the oven, preferably butterflied if it’s breast meat, and keep a watchful eye on it.
Likewise, all seafood takes on a rubbery texture that renders it practically inedible. Keep fish, prawns and the like away from the microwave at all costs. They’re far too delicate and are practically destroyed after a dose of microwave power.
Best foods to microwave
Baked potatoes have never been quicker to prepare than in the age of the microwave. Gone are the days of an hour-long wait for a perfect potato, although for best results a potato will be heated until soft and fluffy before being placed in a pre-heated oven to crisp up the jacket for five minutes.
Pasta dishes don’t tend to end up very edible once nuked, but a square of lasagne from the night before is perfect reheated for an easy lunch. The sauces help to keep the pasta moist, and although the crusty cheese topping loses a little crunch it’s perfectly acceptable.
Microwave popcorn is really not very healthy, but we admit to indulging from time to time. It tastes great, and is easier than cooking popcorn on the stove – although that’s not particularly taxing either. While we’re talking about our favourite foods in the junk food category, cheesy nachos are ready within 30 seconds… and we’d struggle to say no to those either.
Wet stuff is good. We’re talking soups, stews, chilli con carne. Gently heated for slightly longer, rather than intensively blasted, they retain their flavour and make a superb quick midweek meal. If you know you’re going to be pushed for time, making double the day before and heating it up quickly for tea is a lifesaver.
Perhaps the greatest gift from microwaves to the world is their ability to defrost frozen food quickly. Forgot to take meat out of the freezer in time? No worries, a 10-minute stint in the microwave will sort that out. So there’s no need for last minute rushes to the shop to get something fresh.
What are the best and worst foods to microwave? Let us know your opinions in the Comments below.
You might also like: